But Toon legend Shearer doesn’t believe that Benitez will still be in charge next season if they are in the Championship.

“I’d be amazed if Rafa was to stay if we got relegated, absolutely amazed,” said Shearer.

“No way is he going to want to manage Newcastle at Rotherham after being at Real Madrid six months ago. He’s the same guy who won the Champions League with Liverpool and everywhere else he’s been successful.

“He’s going to have offers coming in left, right and centre if they get relegated.”

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“Rafa should have had longer”

Alan Shearer

Shearer was in charge the last time Newcastle went down.

But he believes the club waited too long to replace Steve McClaren with Benitez.

“Of course, Rafa should have had longer,” the pundit said at the launch of the BBC’s European Championship coverage.

“You’ve got a world-class manager who took four games to understand his players, systems and everything else so you can’t tell me that 10 games is enough.

“Eight games wasn’t enough for me, 10 games is nowhere near enough with him.

“Sunderland did it earlier with Sam (Allardyce), now they have a much better opportunity.

“Newcastle didn’t learn by their mistake, everyone was crying out for a change.”

Shearer has also blasted the club’s recruitment policy for failing to bring through local talent.

“The recruitment is a problem,” he said. “The north east is a football hotbed, I still go out and see my son play every weekend and it’s rammed, packed, thousands of players playing every weekend, Saturdays and Sundays.

“Where are they? Newcastle have got Paul Dummet that’s it, other than that....”